It earned her a Golden Globe nomination after co-starring
alongside George Clooney in 2011's "The Descendants."

It looked chic in a fishtail braid at the MTV Movie
Awards.

Jason
Merritt/Getty

And check out that glorious ponytail.

Alberto E.
Rodriguez/Getty

But as any good actress would do, Shailene is chopping off her
long, lustrous locks for her latest film role as Hazel Grace
Lancaster in "The Fault In Our Stars."

Ethan Miller/Getty

Her character Hazel has short hair and as Shailene explains on
her Tumblr blog:

"i will be cutting my hair off this coming weekend in order
to help morph my physical body into that of the incredible Hazel
Grace Lancaster—-and i couldn’t be more amped. not only do i have
the opportunity to externally shift my current establishment of
self, but i have the blessed gift of donating my long locks to a
wonderful organization who will then create a wig for someone in
need. WHAT AN HONOR."

This haircut is a big deal for Shailene.

"for the past ﬁve years i’ve been on an
i-want-to-grow-my-hair-as-long-as-possible kick. before cutting
it for a project last december, it was almost down to my bum
... hair, for me, was a symbol of
strength. it was a symbol of commitment to my
power. of connection to my ancestry. of recognizing my natural
beauty."

Her hair gave her a lot of feelings.

"allowing my genetics to take control and produce long,
luscious locks was my way of paying homage to my kindred spirit.
i felt powerful, in control, strong. i felt connected to my
womanhood, connected to my ancestors…"

But Shailene doesn't want to just
cut her hair. She wants you to cut yours, too.

"...this could be a beautiful opportunity to rally
the troops of mankind and ask for some warriors to help
contribute to the cause. any of you have 8 inches of
hair to spare? or maybe know a friend or family member that does?
if so, consider JOINING THE #hairforhazel TEAM!"